Critical Infrastructure information and vulnerabilities
The systems that control critical infrastructure systems are vital for our current society to function; things such as water treatment and delivery, electricity, and traffic operations such as traffic lights are all things that, if they are interrupted or stopped altogether, could have very negative consequences so they must be secured from cyber-attacks. An example of a vulnerability is a water treatment plant losing access to information about what is happening in the plant or even receiving false readings from an outside source. The systems that monitor the processes at the sites, such as a water treatment plant, are called SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems . Because at the time when these systems were first designed, internet connectivity was not part of the design. As the systems evolved, they utilized networks, but there was no unified standard from system to system. Eventually, the systems would adopt modern connectivity through the internet . Because the systems can now be remotely monitored or controlled through the internet, cybersecurity for these systems must be approached like other organizations.
Conclusion
The need for cyber security is clear because modern critical infrastructure systems are susceptible to the same cyber-attacks as other organizations with an online presence. SCADA systems can mitigate the risk that critical infrastructure may face to cyber-attacks by employing firewalls, role-based access control, and two-factor authentication. Because the sites themselves are, in the case of a water treatment plant, for example, secured physically, securing the access to the systems that monitor the processes at the site can help to keep critical infrastructure systems up and running and with the proper information being sent to those who monitor them.
















Bibliography
“SCADA Systems.” SCADA Systems. Accessed November 8, 2023.
https://www.scadasystems.net/.
“SCADA: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.” Inductive Automation. Accessed November 8, 2023. https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/article/what-is-scada.